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The King's Justice Blog Tour and Review

The King's Justice by E.M Powell

Publication Date: June 1, 2018

Thomas & Mercer

Paperback & eBook; 288 Pages

ISBN-978-1542046015

Series: Stanton and Barling #1

Genre: Historical Mystery

A murder that defies logic—and a killer on the loose.

England, 1176. Aelred Barling, esteemed clerk to the justices of King Henry II, is dispatched from the royal court with his young assistant, Hugo Stanton, to investigate a brutal murder in a village outside York.

The case appears straightforward. A suspect is under lock and key in the local prison, and the angry villagers are demanding swift justice. But when more bodies are discovered, certainty turns to doubt—and amid the chaos it becomes clear that nobody is above suspicion.

Facing growing unrest in the village and the fury of the lord of the manor, Stanton and Barling find themselves drawn into a mystery that defies logic, pursuing a killer who evades capture at every turn.

Can they solve the riddle of who is preying upon the villagers? And can they do it without becoming prey themselves?

My Take:

Because I enjoyed all of the Fifth Knight novels, I was really excited to read The King's Justice by E.M. Powell. I love that Powell took a minor character from the other series and made him one of the main protagonists in this new series. I love mystery novels and by combining mystery and historical fiction, Powell has made a fun, clever and really intriguing novel.

Hugo Stanton is a great character - young, troubled, with a strong conscience and a knack for picking up on details. His boss, Aelred Barling, seems as first to be a very stiff, overly formal stick in the mud who isn't too concerned with true justice. But as the novel progresses, he can be seen more clearly -- he is a stickler for rules - and this really doesn't sit very well with young Hugo. But they make a great team, with humor - sometimes very dry on Barling's part and eventually a mutual appreciation for each other's skills and dedication.

This novel was so much fun to read - I read it in basically one sitting. I was really drawn into this murder mystery and Powell did a great job of keeping me off the right track with lots of possible suspects, conflicting motives, some really great characters plus lots of historical detail as an added bonus. I was glad the story went in such a different direction than I was expecting -- I love to be surprised by mysteries.

The King's Justice is a novel that I can wholeheartedly recommend and I am eagerly looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

About the Author

E.M. Powell’s historical thriller Fifth Knight novels have been #1 Amazon and Bild bestsellers. The King’s Justice is the first novel in her new Stanton and Barling medieval murder mystery series. She is a contributing editor to International Thriller Writers’ The Big Thrill magazine, blogs for English Historical Fiction Authors and is the social media manager for the Historical Novel Society.

Born and raised in the Republic of Ireland into the family of Michael Collins (the legendary revolutionary and founder of the Irish Free State), she now lives in North-West England with her husband, daughter and a Facebook-friendly dog.

Giveaway

During the Blog Tour we will be giving away 6 paperback copies of The King's Justice! To enter, please enter via the Gleam form below.

Giveaway Rules
– Giveaway ends at 11:59pm EST on July 13th. You must be 18 or older to enter.
– Giveaway is open INTERNATIONALLY.
– Only one entry per household.
– All giveaway entrants agree to be honest and not cheat the systems; any suspect of fraud is decided upon by blog/site owner and the sponsor, and entrants may be disqualified at our discretion.
– Winner has 48 hours to claim prize or new winner is chosen.The King's Justice

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Unless otherwise indicated, all of the books I review are either purchased by me or borrowed from the library.

When a review copy has been received from an author, publisher or company, it is in exchange for a fair review and has no effect on my opinion of the book. There is no monetary compensation for reviews. All reviews are my own personal reaction to and opinion of the book.

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